“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” Ecclesiastes 3:1 ESV
Self-care has meant different things to me in different seasons. Before I went back to school, self-care meant doing things outside of the house. Once I started classes I didn’t have as much time to give to my self-care, so I found ways to have self-care moments in-between writing papers. Then the pandemic hit, and self-care looked different again as my home and place of rest became my classroom. In each season, I had to make a conscious effort to find self-care moments.
Aren’t I Supposed to Be Relaxed???
I do enjoy getting pedicures, and I have a massage once a month. But sometimes when I get a massage or get my nails done I feel pressure to feel relaxed. I occasionally do relax (who wouldn’t during a foot rub?), but the relaxed feeling is gone once I walk out the door. Then I feel almost guilty because I paid to relax but I don’t feel relaxed, which of course doesn’t make me feel relaxed . . . what a vicious cycle.
What I’ve learned About My Self-Care
Simple is better!!! I find joy in simple things – and I’ve been paying more attention to taking time to enjoy the simple things.
Bringing clementines to work: I eat them during my prep periods, which helps me pause during my work. And they taste so good this year!
Fuzzy socks: I picked some up at an after-Christmas sale, and I look forward to wearing them at the end of the day. . . even more when they’re clean and in my closet.
A new workbag: My work bag was a bottomless pit and no longer held its shape, so I was getting frustrated. I used Amazon gift cards from Christmas to get a new bag, and it has lots of pockets!!
A new mug: I’m weird about mugs. I have a favorite red mug that’s my “Saturday Mug” – it’s a nice, heavy, large mug . . . that’s currently buried in a storage unit. But I found a new favorite mug It was on clearance, and it’s pink inside, and “Love” my word for 2024! (See I told you. . . I’m all about the simple things.)
Something crafty: I hit another after-Christmas sale and picked up this new craft kit. I’m still working on it, but I love that fact that I can work on it for short amounts of time without having to clean up a mess (short amounts of time because my neck locks up from looking down too long, therefore negating the point of the craft in the first place. . . ugh, aging).
“Mary Tyler Moore”: I watch the show on YouTube during my lunch break (which I now have built into my schedule, and I can’t be pulled for anything during that time!). It’s refreshing to watch a show that always ends on a positive note, and watching it makes me pause from work to sit, eat, drink my coffee, and rest for 24 minutes.
In what ways can you incorporate self-care into your week? Start simple! And if you try something and it doesn’t work for you, move on!
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” Ecclesiastes 3:1 ESV
